COBRE: Center for Cardiovascular Research We are submitting this renewal application for the Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) at the University of Hawaii (UH) in response to the National Institutes of Health RFA-RR-06-001. The John A. Burns School of Medicine has recruited a new PI for the submission of this renewal, Dr. Ralph Shohet, an R01-funded molecular cardiologist. We plan to build upon the basic science foundation of the first COBRE cycle and direct the COBRE's emphasis toward interdisciplinary research in cardiovascular disease. We have modified our application to respond to the reviewers'suggestions and focused upon the strength of resources and personnel already present in Hawaii. Dr. Shohet has established a Center for Cardiovascular Research (CCR) and selected UH investigators with a broad range of scientific expertise, linking their research efforts to problems of cardiovascular importance. Junior investigators'projects will all explore models of cardiovascular stress that are pertinent to clinical disease. Each investigator has identified highly qualified local and external mentors to guide their research and career development. Our primary objective is to strengthen the university's biomedical research capacity through the expansion of an interdisciplinary center for cardiovascular research and enhance the ability of UH investigators to compete for independent extramural funding. We will accomplish this objective through four specific aims: 1) expand the CCR;2) support junior investigators;3) enhance mentoring activities;and, 4) augment research capacity through a new mouse phenotyping core and established histology and genomics cores. Our long-term goal is to contribute to the cadre of skilled researchers whose studies will ultimately contribute to reduction of cardiovascular health disparities in diverse ethnic groups in Hawaii, particularly Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders.